Tostão, that notable Brazilian striker, was the first to accuse Dunga of turning the Selecao into a facsimile of Italy and Fabio Capello added weight to that theory here in the desert by arguing that five seasons as a player in Serie A taught Brazil's coach to envy the "pragmatism of Italians".

The extravagant creativity Brazil evoke from childhood memory has long since given way to a more mechanical opportunism. Dunga, the midfield enforcer of the tightly academic 1994 World Cup-winning side, has waged war on some of his country's most sacred principles. But England should still beware the new arsenal of lethal counter-attacking launched from a strong defensive base. No longer the Rio carnival in studs, a more utilitarian Brazil rely on Kaká, Manchester City's Robinho and the unheralded but prolific Luis Fabiano to supply the thrills.

Ingenuity survives, of course, but England's opponents are no longer a team of crowd-pleasing sorcery. Before training at the Khalifa International Stadium last night Kaká said: "The most important thing is to win and after that we have to try to make a good show for everyone. But the first option is to win the game." As England seek experience against South American styles in a discordant middle-eastern setting, they encounter opposition who have suppressed a natural urge to entertain in favour of a more collective European method.

As England's coaching staff are almost entirely Serie A graduates, this exhibition match could turn into a symposium of Italian thinking.

Threaded together, Dunga's tactical declarations amount to a cultural revolution. After Brazil had won the Confederations Cup in South Africa in June, the coach whose name means Dopey in Portuguese said: "Ever since we took over we've been trying to make our players, who are all stars with their club sides, become workers out on the pitch." Taking office from Carlos Alberto Parreira (the architect of the 1994 win), Dunga remarked that the 2006 World Cup generation "lacked a bit of collective spirit. When the group is solid, individual talent tips the balance. But when there is no collectiveness, then individualism goes down the drain together with the group."

Dunga has built a team of "true men" in his own image. Combative and indomitable in his playing days, he may be seen by posterity as the biggest single catalyst for Brazil's shift from the inventiveness of 1970 and 1982 to today's more calculating style. He has called the 1982 side "specialists in losing".

Not that Brazil's self-reinvention has been linear. In Germany three years ago Parreira deferred to the samba principle by squeezing too many non-workers into an unbalanced XI: Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Adriano all took a binocular view of the defensive effort Dunga considers to be non-negotiable.

Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho were the artists in the triumphant 2002 team. And the eviction of Ronaldinho from Dunga's plans in the spring of this year is the best hint that the 2002 philosophy will not return to Brazilian football any time soon. Explaining the decision to omit Ronaldinho, Dunga said he wants "to have the best players but the national team is not only about skill any more; it's about competitiveness and commitment".

This kind of talk stirs a visceral resentment in the land of Jogo Bonito. But Dunga, a gaucho from the same Rio Grande do Sul region as Luiz Felipe Scolari (the 2002 coach) is protected by results – none more encouraging than the 3-1 win over Diego Maradona's Argentina in Rosario, in which a strong back four of Maicon, Luisao, Lucio and Andre Santos were shielded by Felipe Melo and Gilberto Silva, while Elano, Kaká, Robinho and Luis Fabiano took care of the counter-attacks.

Fifa's tactical report on their Confederations Cup win stated: "Their formation was a mixture of 4‑2‑3‑1 and 4‑2‑2‑2. In the former Robinho tended to play on the left side of midfield, while in the more attacking line-up he played as a second striker alongside Luis Fabiano. The Brazilians have changed their style under coach Dunga, with counter-attacking now a key part of their philosophy. They gave a perfect demonstration of how to switch quickly to attack after gaining possession, move the ball quickly through midfield and play a killer final ball."

Dunga says: "Talent is extremely important but it has to be united with other things to have any effect. History shows this. On a lot of occasions Brazil have had players of very high quality but haven't got the results."

Luis Fabiano is the most conspicuous example of a promoted understudy. A let-down at Rennes and Porto, Ronaldo's successor in the No9 shirt burst to life with his move four years ago to Sevilla, where he has scored 49 times in 110 games. 'O Fabuloso', as they know him in Brazil, struck nine times in South American qualifying (Chile's Humberto Suazo was top, with 10) and has scored 25 in 35 outings for the Auriverde.

Adriano, Fred and Ronaldo have all returned successfully to Brazilian club football but Luis Fabiano is the comparative backwoodsman Dunga has chosen to be chief finisher. "Every time I've gone out and played for the Selecao I've always been very calm," he says. "That's because I'm confident in what I do and also because Dunga has always made it clear how much confidence he has in me."

Like Capello, Dunga has identified mentally tough individuals to serve a grand design. Arsenal supporters who still bemoan Arsène Wenger's decision to let Gilberto Silva go will derive no comfort from observing him in such a pivotal role here tonight. Gilberto stresses this team's "unity and the determination of everyone to win things".

But, if England are here to reduce the possibility of losing to South American opposition for the third time in four World Cups since 1998, Brazil, too, are on scouting duty. Kaká said: "The Capello characteristic is the important thing to understand in the England team but with individual players they have good characteristics to decide every game. England are a tough team to play against and it's a good motivation for us now to understand these English players. It's a chance for us to play against one of the favourites for the next World Cup. We've played against Italy and Portugal and now this test for us is very important."

Spain, Capello said, spend more time constructing moves than the new Brazil, who go "straight to the goal". The mantra now is solidarity and regimentation but Brazil will always find a way straight to the heart as well.